More than 100 Haines households will see their food stamp payments reduced beginning in September as a result of the official rescinding of the state’s public health emergency order on July 1.
As of May, 119 Haines households were participating in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), with an average monthly benefit of $529, up about 50% from March 2020, the last pre-pandemic month.
SNAP, which traditionally assists low-income families with food purchases, began issuing emergency allotments in April 2020 as part of the federal government’s pandemic response. The emergency allotments guaranteed SNAP households the maximum allowable benefit for a household their size, regardless of income.
The average SNAP payment in Haines has fluctuated over the course of the pandemic, but in general, payments have been significantly higher than pre-pandemic amounts.
The 119 households enrolled in the food aid program represents about one in eight households in Haines, according to U.S. Census Bureau counts.
In the months leading up to the pandemic, the average Haines household SNAP benefit fluctuated between $218 and $263. Since April 2020, monthly SNAP payments have averaged about $470.
In a June 6 press conference, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services Commissioner Adam Crum announced the state would rescind the public health emergency order that granted state governments a number of tools to address the pandemic, including the federally funded expansion of SNAP benefits. Crum cited a “mellowing out” of the COVID situation as the reason for ending the order.
States are allowed to extend emergency SNAP allotments by a month after their emergency orders end, which Alaska has opted to do, allowing the expanded benefits to continue through August.
Once the SNAP emergency allotment program expires, Shawnda O’Brien, director of the state’s Division of Public Assistance, said she expects payments will return to pre-pandemic levels.
State food aid organizations have said the reduction in SNAP benefits is particularly poorly timed — the need remains high as prices surge and other pandemic benefits expire.
The number of Haines SNAP households has climbed over the course of the pandemic, from 76 in March 2020 to 119 in May this year, although the increase hasn’t been steady. Numbers dipped below 80 during winter 2020-2021.
O’Brien said it’s hard to determine why case numbers and benefit amounts have fluctuated month to month.
“Any changes in income, resources, housing, household members, utilities, etc. have an impact on the amount of benefit a person (or) household is eligible for,” she said.
As of April, roughly 56,000 households with 97,000 Alaskans statewide were participating in SNAP, an increase of 17,000 Alaskans over pre-pandemic levels.